HOA Board Assigning Parking Spaces

T.S. from outside of Connecticut writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

We have 14 units and 28 parking spaces. The HOA is currently talking about assigning one parking space per unit. Is this a good idea?

Mister Condo replies:

T.S., management of common resources and elements like the parking lot is the purview of the Board. 14 units and 28 parking spaces is a fine ratio assuming all unit owners use one space for a personal vehicle and leave the other space for guest parking. However, what happens when one unit has more than two cars parked on the property? What if a unit owner had no available parking for their own vehicle or guest because another unit owner occupied available parking spaces? These problems become the problem of the Board so I think it is wise of them to address the issue before it becomes a problem and before bad habits set in. If you follow my column on a regular basis, you will see that I field an awful lot of parking-related issues. Assigning parking spaces is likely a good idea and will create a better sense of parking rules for residents. Good luck!